Hope
by The Storm Veradea
Summary: Bloodclan has won, driving the remaining clan cats out of the forest. Sandstorm is devastated at the loss of her mate but when she meets a cat that reminds her of him she sees hope that the clans can return to the forest and drive out Bloodclan. R&R
1. Prologue

**This is a fan fiction about what if Bloodclan had won. Sorry if I get some points wrong, it has been a while since I read The Darkest Hour. Please tell me if I get some info wrong and I will correct it as soon as I can. I made it to where neither Bone or Whitestorm died. Anyway, I hope you like it. (:**

Hope

**Bloodclan**

Leader:

Scourge-small black cat with green eyes

Deputy:

Bone-Large black and white tom

Warriors(only naming a few):

Poppy-pure black cat with blue eyes

Dawn-Gray she-cat with yellow eyes

Timber-large brown tom

Clan cats left after the battle:

Graystripe-large gray tom

Whitestorm-Large snow white cat

Ravenpaw-black tom

Sandstorm-pale brown she-cat

Mistyfoot-large sleek, slender well-muscled blue-gray she-cat

Leopardstar-usually spotted she-cat

Bramblepaw-dark tabby tom

Tawnypaw-slender, mottled, tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes

Sorrelkit-tortoiseshell she-cat

Rainkit-dark gray tom with blue eyes

Sootkit-pale gray tom

Speckletail-pale tabby she-cat

Willowpelt-slender, very pale, silver-gray she-cat with unusual blue eyes

Tallstar-black and white tom with a long tail

Onewhisker-small, lithe, mottled light brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Cat's outside of the clans:

Flame-Large ginger tom

**Prologue**

Sandstorm raised her head, disbelieving what her eyes saw. Laying there in front of all the clans was the body of her beloved mate, Firestar. His bright ginger pelt was stained crimson. Her beloved Firestar, gone. His eyes stared blankly up at the sky. All nine of his lives, wasted. He had only been leader for a few moons.

"Kill the survivors" Scourge's voice jolted her back to reality.

She took a glance around. Only a few clan cats remained alive, against Bloodclan they were nothing. A cat nudged her side. She turned her head to see Graystripe.

"Let's gather the rest of the clans and run… Firestar may be dead but we can't give up hope…" He whispered.

She nodded absently, not knowing what else to do.

Graystripe gathered the others. The ones that were left were Onewhisker, Tallstar, Tawnypaw, Bramblepaw, Mistyfoot, Ravenpaw, Willowpelt, and Whitestorm. Not many but at least it was better than none.

"We need to get Speckletail and the kits" Willowpelt pointed out as the sprinted through trees, Bloodclan at their heels. They burst through camp so fast that Speckletail jumped in fright.

"What happened?" She questioned, her head turned to her side.

Sandstorm's eyes glanced at the ground. "Bloodclan have won, Firestar is dead..."

Speckletail let out a gasp. "No... It's can't be..." She cried.

Behind her, three little heads popped out of the nursery. It was Sorrelkit, Sootkit, and Rainkit. The only three kits left in the clan. Sorrelkit, the bravest, bounded up to Sandstorm. "Did you win!" She squeaked.

Sandstorm shook her head. "We are all that is left. We must leave before they kill us too. Firestar can't have died for nothing"

Sandstorm and Graystripe lead them out of the forest, avoiding the patrolling Bloodclan cats.

"Maybe... one day we will drive them out..." Ravenpaw swollowed, he had lost his own friend in the battle. Barrley was old but he went down with a fight.

"Thats impossible... clearly impossible..." Sandstorm shook her head.

**So, what do you think. I'm sorry the prologue is so short but in the future it will be longer.**


	2. Chapter 1

**I thank those who reviewed on the prologue (: Here is the next chapter for Hope. Also, if anyone wants to, I will reopen my other warriors fan fictions.**

Chapter 1

Sandstorm stood on unknown ground, her eyes scanning the area. Just up ahead, Leopardstar sat, her head staring down at the earth. She was grieving over the loss of her clan. Only one had made it out alive and that was her deputy. Mistyfoot laid her tail gently on the Riverclan leader's shoulder, as if to comfort her.

Beside her stood Graystripe, his fur was matted with blood and a deep gash sat on his side. It was still oozing blood. His eyes filled with pain and grief. He had not only lost his best friend, but his kits. Stormpaw and Featherpaw. They were all the gray warrior had left of his deceased mate. They needed a medicine cat but... all of the medicine cats were killed in the battle.

~Flame's Point of View~

The moon shone down upon the forest, lighting it up silver. Not a soul was in sight until a young female cat exited her den and stretched. Her gray fur glowed brightly as she padded across the clearing. She was greeted by her brother, a large ginger tom.

"Maple, you must come with me. Leave Bloodclan behind, this is no way for a cat to live" The ginger cat whispered, his name was Flame.

She shook her head. "No, Flame, we can't leave. Scourge will hunt us down. He will kill us." She had panic in her voice.

He shook his head at this. "Not if we get far enough away. I don't want to live the rest of my life in fear. Look what they did to the clan cats. They killed all but a few of them. The survivors got away. Maybe we could find them." He pointed out.

"Flame, your talking nonsense. This is the safest place to live"

"No, it's not!" He argued. "If you won't come with me then I'll leave myself" He spat, anger filling his meow. He spun around and headed towards the forest, exiting the moonlit clearing. He was so angry that he didn't look back. But he was also hurt, his sister was the only family he had left. His father had left his mother when they were kits, he didn't even know who he was. And his mother… she had died in the battle to drive out the clans. Everything was lost over it.

"Flame! Wait!" Yowled a voice. It was Maple's. He turned to see her racing after him.

"What… are you doing here?" He asked, astonished.

"Going with you, of course. I couldn't let my brother leave me behind." She purred, rubbing her cheek against his.

"I'm glad you decided to come with me. Come on, lets get out of this retched place." He meowed. As they were about ready to head away a rustle behind them made them both turn.

A large black and white tom walked out of the bushes followed by a patrol of Bloodclan cats.

"Bone…"

"Well, looks like we have a couple of traitors. Kill them" He smiled.

Two of the cats, a white she-cat and a gray tom, leapt upon his sister. He watched, horror in his eyes, as they ripped into her pelt. Blood splattered against the green around them. Maple struggled and struggled, but grew weaker until she went limp.

"Maple! No!" He froze in fright, he couldn't believe his eyes. His sister… dead… he felt tears run down his cheeks. His only family left, gone. He forced his legs to move and he sprinted into the spray of undergrowth. Ferns smacked him in the face but he kept going. He hated this place, he hated Bloodclan, he hated Bone, he hated Scourge. He would find the clan cats. He would help them. He would get revenge.

**Sorry that they are still short but they are getting longer. I hoped you liked this chapter (:**


	3. Chapter 2

**Here is chapter 2. I hope you like it (:**

Chapter 2

Sandstorm wished to comfort her friend but no words came to mind. She too was grieving. They had lost everything. Their clans, their homes, their prey, Firestar. Everybody was grieving about him. Why had Starclan let this happen! They were suppose to protect them! Shaking her head, she allowed a sigh to escape her. No use in blaming their ancestors.

A chilly wind made her shudder. She stole a glance at the sky. The sun was retreating below the horizon and the first stars were making their first appearance in the night sky. Tonight, there would be many new stars. For the ones who had died in the battle. Firestar would be one of them. His would be the brightest star of the night. _Oh Firestar… why did you have to leave… why did you have to die… why did you leave me all alone…? _She couldn't shake the memory of Scourge killing Firestar. The horror that she saw.

~Flashback (It's actually in Firestar's point of view, I know it sounds strange but it sounds better in his point of view)~

"You're going down!" Scourge hissed at the ginger tom. He leaped on top of him. Knocking him over despite his size. He ripped at his neck. Firestar let out a yowl of pain and forced the small black cat off of him. Blinded with pain, her leapt on top of the leader of Bloodclan. He had to take the cat down. For the forest, for his clan, for all his clans, for Sandstorm. For his beloved mate. He couldn't let Scourge win. What would the evil cat do to the survivors? He had to protect Sandstorm.

While caught off guard, Scourge sank his teeth deep within his neck. The wound was fatal. He had failed. He could feel the life draining out of him. Death would be upon him in a matter of minutes. He forced himself to look up. To look up at his mate.

"Sandstorm… I…I love you… Forgive me… I couldn't pro…protect you…" He whispered, just loud enough for her to hear. His head then thudded against the ground and everything went black.

~Flashback ended~

She still remembered the last words that he said to her. She, of course, loved him too but now she would never get to tell him that again. Now they were left out here without a medicine cat to help them. A couple of the cats were badly wounded. There was Ravenpaw's shoulder and Graystripe's flank. Both were oozing crimson blood. She looked around, trying to find some cobwebs. She found a clump of them between two tiger lilies and gathered them up with her paw. She commanded them both to lie down and they did without much complaint. She pressed the cobwebs against Graystripe's flank, easing the flow of blood. He winced in pain as the sticky webs clang to the gash.

"Owww…. Sandstorm… take it easy…" He whined, sounding like a little kit.

Sandstorm hissed at him, though her heart wasn't into aggression right now. All she felt was pain. Next, after she was done with Graystripe, she moved to Ravenpaw and pressed some cobwebs against his flank.

"Thanks…" He muttered.

She just nodded.

~Later that Night~

Sandstorm stood watch as the others slept. She couldn't sleep. every time she closed her eyes all she saw was him. His face. His purr. Her pelt. His death… A tail laid on her shoulder and she turned to see Whitestorm, the elderly cat sat down next to her. He didn't say anything but him just being there comforted her. He was her mentor.

"Whitestorm, what are we too do. We have no medicine cat, no home, little prey, Firestar is gone…"

"Sandstorm, Firestar isn't gone. He's up there in Starclan right now, watching over you." Whitestorm's words comforted her. In the silver moonlight his snow white pelt glowed silver.

"Your right, Whitestorm. He's always going to watch over the clans, even in Starclan."

Together, Sandstorm and Whitestorm took watch. It was a peaceful night. The red and orange leaves that broke away from the tress in the soft breeze swam through the air. The moon shone overhead. A rustle of the bushes broke the peace. Sandstorm jumped as a flame colored tom entered the clearing. She was too shocked to speak. The tom, he looked just like Firestar.

"Who are you!" She hissed, jumping to the defense of the rest of the clans. Whitestorm's pelt bristled, he was ready to attack.

"My name is Flame. I am here in peace. I mean no harm." The cat explained.

**And end of chapter 2. Stay tuned for the next one (: I thank all of those who have reviewed!**


	4. Chapter 3

**Here is the next chapter. Please keep the reviews coming and I'm happy that you all liked it so far. Please, tell me if there is something I need to improve on. I hope everyone had a good Valentine's Day because I did. (: **

Chapter 3

"Kill him! He reeks of Bloodclan!" Hissed a voice to her left. She turned to see Bramblepaw. The young tabby tom's pelt was bristling. Sandstorm didn't blame him for acting like that. Firestar was his mentor. She laid her tail on his shoulder to calm him down.

"Who are you and why are you here?" She asked softly, trying to keep her own anger down.

"My name is Flame" The tom repeated.

"Where do you come from?" The words came out through bared teeth, she couldn't hide her anger in any longer.

"I shall tell you the truth. I do come from Bloodclan but I am not like those other cats. They killed my sister and tried to kill me. I want revenge on them. I want to help you" There was truth in his voice, Sandstorm could tell. For some reason she trusted this cat. There was something about him. He reminded her of Firestar. Not just because of the pelt. Something deeper inside him.

"Bloodclan! I knew it!" Bramblepaw hissed. She gave him a glare that silenced him.

"I trust you but why did they kill your sister?" She questioned.

"Sandstorm… he's from Bloodclan…" Whitestorm started but she cut him off with her tail swiping over his mouth. She gave him a look that read, _trust me._

"I… we tried to escape. We were tired of Bloodclan… please believe me, I'm telling the truth" His eyes were clouded with pain and grief. He must have been recalling his sister's death.

"Don't fret. I believe you" Sandstorm meowed.

"I know you. You were that Thunderclan leader's mate" Flame responded.

She just nodded, her eyes were watering again as she recalled her mate. Flame must have noticed this because he meowed. "Sorry… I shouldn't have… brought that up…"

"Who's this!" Hissed a voice behind them, Sandstorm turned her head to see that the rest of the clans were up. The voice had come from Graystripe.

She flicked his ear with the tip of her tail. "Graystripe, this is Flame. Flame, this is Graystripe. He is here to help us." She introduced the toms.

Graystripe cocked his head. "He looks like Firestar…" he muttered to himself and then meowed out loud. "How do you know he is not lying?"

"I trust that he is not" Sandstorm defended the ginger tom. Her stomach rumbled like a monster on a thunderpath. "We need to hunt, Flame. Would you like to come with me?" For some reason, she wanted the tom with herself.

"Um… sure… I guess" He stuttered, clearly surprised by the jester.

Without another word, she led him through the bushes, bounding into the undergrowth. She came to a halt and opened her mouth, taking in the scents of the forest. A fresh wave of grief swept over her but she brushed it off. The others needed food.

"You know, some of the others need their wounds looked at" Flame meowed, stopping next to her. His pelt brushed against hers, just like Firestar's used to.

She nodded at this. "I know… but, the medicine cats… they died in the battle…"

"I know some about herbs. I can treat their wounds" He offered.

"I would like that." She purred. She was liking this cat more and more by the minute. For some reason, she trusted him completely. He was like Firestar in many ways. His looks for sure. His meow was soft like her mate's when he spoke to her. "Come on, we need to find some prey."

She caught the scent of a mouse. It was snacking on a beech nut next to a fallen log. It was so involved with eating that it didn't notice the cats. Sandstorm went into a hunter's crouch and slid across the ground, like a snake. The mouse didn't know until it was too late. As it made a flee for escape she pounced and killed it with a swift bite.

"Good catch" Flame purred. "Do you all hunt like that?"

Embarrassed, Sandstorm sat up. "Firestar always said that I was the best hunter in the clan…" She whispered.

"Well, he got that right." Flame's mew was soft, like Firestar's when he was talking to her.

In no time, they collected enough fresh-kill to feed them all. Together, Flame and Sandstorm made it back to the makeshift camp, prey filling their jaws.

**So… Anyone want to guess what is happening next? Anyone catching on to the foreshadowing? (: Anyway, hoped you liked it.**


	5. Chapter 4

**Sorry it took so long to get this chapter up. I hope you like it. :)**

**Chapter 4**

That night they feasted and almost forgot about their worries. Almost... Flame told them about his life with Bloodclan. How he didn't know his father and his mother had raised him and his sister.

"Me and Maple, we were all we had. After mother died. Scourge forced her into battle. She was too frail. One of the first ones to go down..." He swallowed as his mind over flowed with memories of the past.

~Flashback(This is going back into Flame's past, it's him at the battle. Hope you like it. Also, its in first person)~

I heard the screeches of the other cats around me. One of the clan cats tackled me, knocking me to the ground. I lay there, trying to catch my breath. My vision blurred and the forest went fuzzy. When I finally came back into focus the battle had raged on even harder. I frantically looked around, looking for my mother. I spotted a flash of silver over to his left. I turned his head to see my mother fighting a gray tom two times her size. She was putting up a fight but she was wearing. I watched, horror in my eyes, as my mother was overcome and she collapsed to the ground. I wished to come to her aid but my paws, they were frozen to the ground.

The large gray tom stalked off, looking for his next victim. I forced himself to race to her side.

"Mother..." I whispered.

Her eyes flickered open. "Flame..." She whispered hoarsely.

"Shhh... save your strength..." I pleaded.

"No... Flame... I... I... won't last long..." She stopped, trying to gulp in air. "Come closer..."

I did.

"Take care of your sister... I love you, Flame... you and your sister both..." Her body gave a jerk and then she went limp. Her eyes stared up at the sky, cloudy.

I buried my nose in her blood stained fur. I had just lost my mother. Only my sister remained.

**Sorry this chapter was so short. I will make them longer in the future. Anyway, I hoped you enjoyed it. Please review.**


	6. Chapter 5

**I thank those who have been keeping up with this fanfic. Please keep reviewing. Here is chapter 5 :) **

**Chapter 5**

Flame sat, staring up at the night sky. Above, millions of stars shone down, looking upon him. He let out a shiver as a cold breeze blew in from the the north.

"The warrior ancestors are up there, looking down upon us. You know" Meowed a voice behind him. He turned around to see a pale brown she-cat. Her green eyes shone in the moonlight.

"Ancestors? The stars?" Flame tilted his head in curiosity. "But they are just... stars..."

Sandstorm shook her head. "They are Starclan." she paused, as if to choose the right words to say. "They are the cats of the past. When one of the clan cats dies they become part of what is called the Silverpelt..." She let out a sigh. "You would never understand..."

"Try me" Flame replied, tilting his head to the side in curiosity.

"As I said, when a clan cat dies they become part of the stars. They become Starclan." Sandstorm explained once again.

"I think I understand. All of the cats who died in the battle with..." He let out a shiver of hatred. "Bloodclan are up there"

Sandstorm nodded. "Yes and all of the cats who died before that" She paused. Wondering if she should tell the ginger tom the stories of the clans. Would he understand? "A long time ago there lived four cats. Thunder, Wind, Shadow, and River. Thunder, he was the first leader of Thunderclan. Wind, he was the first leader of Windclan. Shadow, she was the first leader of Shadowclan. And River, she was the first leader of Riverclan." she stopped. "Are you understanding all of this?"

Flame nodded his ginger head, his amber eyes were shining in the moonlit. "I understand. It seems almost... familiar to me"

Sandstorm tilted her head. "Really?" she meowed.

He nodded and then looked into the green pools that were her eyes. "Sandstorm I... I just... I don't know how to say this..." He shook his head. "You would just laugh at me..." He sighed.

"Come on, you can tell me anything..." she moved closer, allowing her pale colored pelt to brush against his flame colored fur.

"It's just that... ever since my mother died and my sister was murdered I have felt so... alone... That is... until I met you..." His voice came out in a hoarse whisper. "Sandstorm... I really, really like you..." He let out a hiss of frustration. "This is stupid... you probably don't like me" He stood and raced off into the forest without looking back.

"Flame! Wait!" Sandstorm yowled. He liked her? Something inside her made her feel warm and fuzzy. Just like Firestar used to make her feel. She shook her head. Did she like him too? No... she was Firestar's mate... till the end.

She sat there till a little after moonhigh, sitting guard alone. Flame finally came back, his tail dragging on the ground. Disturbing the dry leaves that lay there. His pelt was tangled and torn from brambles that he had dashed through.

"Flame..." She started.

He cut her off with a stare. He entered the clearing and flopped down in a bed of moss.

She sighed, giving up the attempt to make things right with the ginger tom. She stood and padded over to Whitestorm and prodded him awake.

He looked up, blinking the sleep out of his eyes. "Sandstorm..." He meowed, looking at his former apprentice. "What is it? Is it time for me to keep watch?"

She nodded sleepily, letting out a big yawn.

Whitestorm rose to his paws and stretched. "You need some rest. Go sleep now!" He commanded.

She just nodded, not feeling up to fighting right now, and laid down in her nest. The moss felt soft to the touch and there had been feathers laid there for extra comfort. She let a sigh escape her. She closed her eyes and sleep found her in no time.

And she dreamed...

"Sandstorm" Purred the large ginger tom in front of her.

"Firestar..." She breathed.

"Yes my love, it is I" Her mate purred.

"Why are you here?" She questioned, rubbing up against him. She was so happy to see him again.

"I wanted to talk to you about Flame." Firestar replied simply.

She pulled away, hurt in her eyes. "Firestar... don't even think... I will never betray you..."

He stopped her by sticking his tail in her mouth. "I know. But I also know that you love him. He reminds you of me. I just want you to be happy." He stared deeply into her. His green eyes met hers. "I want you to be happy, Sandstorm. You love Flame. Be with him." Her mate started to fade.

"Firestar no..." Sandstorm started.

"Follow your heart, Sandstorm. Follow your heart." Firestar whispered as he disappeared into the wind.

Sandstorm woke with a jolt. She felt happy inside. Firestar had said it was alright to be with Flame. She sat up, purring, and looked around. The ginger tom was curled up in a ball beside to the east of her. She lifted herself up and padded over to him. After prodding him with her paw she whispered in his ear. "I want to talk to you"

He sat up, blinking. "Let's go hunting. We can talk there" He meowed after a moment of silence.

She nodded and they both padded out of the makeshift camp, into the forest.

**What do you think? Please tell me what I need to improve on. :)**


	7. Chapter 6

**I am sooo sorry that I have not been updating for a while. I was working on The Crimson Blade. Here is the next chapter :) I thank those who are keeping up with reading :) Please keep reviewing**

Chapter 6

"So what do you want to talk to me about?" Flame asked, he had just taken down a large crow. The shining black ruffled feathers lay at his paws.

"I wanted to..." She looked down at her paws, embarrassed. She hadn't loved any cat except Firestar before now... "I wanted to say that I liked you..." She whispered

Flame's eyes opened wide at what he heard Sandstorm say. "You... you like me..."

"Mouse-brain." She purred. "Any cat would be stupid not to. What I am trying to say is. Flame... would you be my mate?"

"This is so sudden but... of course I'll be your mate" He purred back.

Her greens eyes lit up at the sound of that. She was happier than she had been in days. "Come on" She purred. "Let's see if we can find something for the others."

He nodded. Soon they gathered enough prey to feed the rest of the clans. They returned to the makeshift camp, jaws filling with prey and tails intertwined.

On arrival to camp, Sandstorm dropped her kills into the fresh-kill pile. Flame did the same. He choose a nice blackbird and looked at his new mate. "Will you share this with me?" He asked.

She nodded. "Of course, stupid furball" She purred, laughter filling her eyes.

The lay in the sun after devouring the blackbird. They started to share tongues when Sorrelkit came bounding around them. The little tortoiseshell kit was squeaking in excitement as her brother, Sootkit, the the pale gray tom, chased her.

Sandstorm sighed, watching the kits. Her green eyes clouded with grief.

"What is it, my love?" Flame questioned. Noticing her disappointment.

"It's just... I want to have kits..." She whispered. She had just realized she had just wanted kits of her own.

"We will, one day" Flame replied, rubbing his cheek against hers. "You will make a good mother." He commented.

"And you will make a great father." She purred in reply. This was the happiest she has ever been since... since Firestar's death. She still wanted to avenge him. Wanted to rip Scourge's throat out for it.

~That night, in a dream~

Flame stood in front of a she-cat. She had a broad face, blue-gray fur with stars in her pelt, and blue eyes. "Welcome Flame, to Starclan" She meowed. "I am Bluestar"

"Am... I dead..." He stuttered.

She shook her head. "No, we have come to you in a dream because we need help. Bloodclan must go, they are destroying the home that once belonged to the clans."

"But we are so few..." Flame whispered. "Bloodclan is many... there is no way we can defeat them"

"There is one way. There is a clan next to the mountains that goes by the name of Valleyclan. They are many and with their help Bloodclan may be able to be driven out" Bluestar replied.

Flame nodded. He must find this Valleyclan. For Sandstorm. She was devastated ever since Firestar died.

"Thank you..." Bluestar began to fade into the wind.

Flame woke with a jolt. He looked at his mate who was beside him. Her flank rose and fell with sleep. He poked her awake. "Sandstorm, I know how we can drive out Bloodclan."

**And end of chapter. Sorry its sooo short but... I shall make them longer in the future. **

**Also, please check out my other warrior fanfics. I would appreciate it.**

**-Mew from the Mew-Celebi account**


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